Danny and Diane Shaffer’s 1964 Fairlane

Ford Motor Company proved in the early ’60s that bigger isn’t always better. Though their full-size fleet was bigger and better than ever, typically with each new large model came complementing midsize and compacts. Ford’s very first foray into the midrange (intermediate) market debuted with the 1962 year-model Fairlane—as well as the Comet’s bigger brother, the Mercury Meteor—which was actually a downsized version of its third-generation predecessor … though only by a mere 4 inches, wheelbase-wise.

Across the board, this “new” subcategory, unlike the early Falcons and Novas, was not deprived of performance potential—the manufacturers eventually took advantage of the weight-saving advantages, such as Ford did in 1964 with the Thunderbolt, an experimental factory race car built specifically for NHRA Super Stock competition—and available (if you consider roughly 100 as “available) to the general public for just under $4,000! While the more readily available Galaxies and the like of the era were ruling NASCAR, little old ladies in Pasadena were better suited behind the wheelhouse of the compacts than young testosterone-filled men at the time, so the midsized models made much more sense—size-wise, price-wise, and potential performance-wise than the bigger and/or smaller options.

Seeing as owning a real-deal Thunderbolt, or any other factory ready-made racer for that matter, wasn’t feasible then and without a doubt unobtainable for the average Joe, a 289-equipped Fairlane hardtop was, however—and still is to this day. And truth be told, the absence of that piece of metal called the B-pillar makes a world of difference for many in the style/looks department … besides, who really wants all those flimsy fiberglass body parts and gutted interior?! For a modern-day cruiser for a Bakersfield, California, couple like Danny and Diane Shaffer, the third generation Fairlane Sport Coupe was the perfect premise on which to build upon.

Your hub for horsepower
Get first access to hit shows like Roadkill and Dirt Every Day

The Shaffers located their 1964 Fairlane as an in-progress build that had stalled a few years back. To get the hardtop project jump-started and back on track, Danny and Diane enlisted the services of American Speed Company in Michigan—the company behind the Speed33 steel roadsters—to handle the remaining tasks … which they did, completing just in time to debut at the 2016 Detroit Autorama.

To meet the demands of modern driving, a number of OE items have been replaced, starting with the chassis—well, more like the addition of a proper chassis altogether. The once-unibody Sport Coupe was outfitted with a new performance foundation from the Roadster Shop: their Fast Track pro touring–style square-rail chassis designed/equipped to be driven hard. Non-“standard” standard equipment include Roadster Shop’s proprietary IFS, four-linked coilover rear, Wilwood discs, and power rack-and-pinion steering. The powertrain features were stepped up quite a bit, too, thanks to the addition of a Ford Performance 32-valve Coyote V-8 that, with the forced induction aid of Roush Stage II supercharger purportedly puts out 620 hp through its TREMEC T56 Magnum to a 3.90-geared Strange 9-inch. It’s no 427 FE with a four-speed, but they only produced 425 hp anyway!

Though the exterior is not a departure from Ford’s original 1964 design, it’s been done in a manner that exudes the right amount of contemporary influence. Notice that beyond being void of visible mounting hardware, the stock bumpers have been sectioned and tucked tighter (a subtle brow added to the rear); the inner headlights have been converted to air intake inlets, a la the Thunderbolt (also fitting seeing as Thunderbolt taillights were used); the hood blister was slightly raised; and certain pieces of trim not brightened by Advanced Plating were instead given a satin coating complementing the car’s Budnik Remington wheels. Motor City Solutions (Taylor, Michigan) performed the bodywork and subsequent—and flawless—PPG Moss Green paintjob.

Before the Fairlane could make its Cobo Hall debut, American Speed had to design and execute an interior befitting of the project—which they did. The upholstery consists of charcoal-colored Wollsdorf leather and graphite carpet from ACC, the stock steering wheel has been reduced in diameter and leather-wrapped, ASC-series Classic Instruments gauges retrofit, and an Alpine stereo and Vintage Air system installed.